Prices for M1 come straight from the price list, so they’re always current. Outside figures are linked to their sources.
Typical UK local SEO prices in 2026
I checked the UK price guides published this year. They don’t agree to the pound, but they tell the same story: a one-off set-up costs hundreds to low thousands, and a monthly retainer costs hundreds a month and up. Here are the ranges, rounded.
| Route | Typical cost | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| One-off set-up | Roughly £250 to £2,000 as a project, with some agencies quoting up to £3,000 | Your Google Business Profile filled in, directory listings (citations) checked, key fixes on your website, a review plan |
| Freelancer, monthly | Roughly £300 to £800 a month for a newer freelancer, £800 to £2,500 for an experienced one | Ongoing profile work, local pages, citations and reporting. Quality varies a lot. |
| Agency, one location | Roughly £300 to £600 a month in a quiet area, £600 to £1,500 in a competitive town or city | A team, a process and monthly reports. Entry packages often sit around £750 a month. |
| Agency, several locations | Roughly £1,000 to £4,000 a month and up | Each location adds profile work, pages and reviews to manage. |
| Hourly | Roughly £30 to £150 an hour, depending on experience | One-off jobs, audits or a few hours of help. |
What you pay depends mostly on how competitive your trade and town are, how many areas or locations you cover, and how much of the work is ongoing rather than a one-off fix.
What you get at each price
Two quotes of the same price can hold very different work, so ask for the list of what happens each month. Roughly, the guides describe three levels.
- Under about £500 a month: basic tidying of your Google profile and your directory listings. Useful if nothing has been done, but there’s a limit to what a few hours a month can change.
- About £500 to £1,000 a month: profile work, proper service and area pages on your website, a review system, citations and some link building.
- Over about £1,000 a month: several locations, regular content and more link building, usually in competitive cities.
There’s also a clear split between a one-off set-up and a retainer. A set-up fixes the foundations: a complete profile, the right primary category, the same name, address and phone number everywhere (NAP), schema markup and a way to ask for reviews. A retainer keeps things moving after that. Many small local businesses get most of the benefit from getting the foundations right, then keeping up posts and reviews themselves.
What you can do yourself
A lot of local SEO is admin you can do in an evening or two. Google doesn’t charge for a Business Profile, so the main cost is your time.
- Claim and verify your profile. Google says customers can only find your profile after it’s verified.
- Fill in every field. Business name as it appears on your signage, the right main category, your services, opening hours, photos and a plain description. If you visit customers, set your service areas and hide your address (see service-area business).
- Match your details everywhere. Same name, address and phone number on your website, Facebook, Yell and any trade directory.
- Ask every customer for a review. The guide to getting more Google reviews covers how to ask within Google’s rules.
- Give each main service a page on your website, and link to it from your profile.
- Set up Google Search Console so you can see whether your pages are indexed and what people search to find you.
If you’re not showing at all, start with the checklist for businesses not showing on Google. For the basics of how it all fits together, see what local SEO is.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
- Who owns the profile? You should stay the owner. Google lets an owner add someone as a manager, who can edit the profile and reply to reviews but can’t remove users or delete the profile. Never hand over ownership.
- What exactly happens each month? Posts, pages, citations, review replies, reports: get it in writing. “Ongoing optimisation” on its own tells you nothing.
- Is there a minimum term? Many retainers have one. Know it before you sign.
- Do they promise rankings? Walk away if they do. Google says there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking, and that local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity. Nobody controls the map pack.
- What will you see? Calls, direction requests and website clicks from your profile matter more than a list of positions.
Very cheap monthly packages are worth a hard look. Several of the guides warn that the lowest prices usually mean automated, thin work.
What M1 Studio charges
I publish my prices, so you can put them next to the ranges above. No VAT is charged.
- Local Search Fix, £800 fixed: your Google Business Profile filled in properly; key fixes on your website; behind-the-scenes code that helps Google read your business details (schema markup); and review requests set up, asking every customer. It’s a one-off job, paid £400 to start and £400 at launch, typically 1 to 2 weeks. No monthly fee follows it.
- Foundation Plan, £500 a month: everything in the Website Care Plan; small changes, up to about 3 hours a month; 4 Google Business Profile posts a month; and a review call with Sammy every 3 months. Start the Foundation Plan on its 3-month minimum and the Local Search Fix (£800 on its own) is included. After the 3-month minimum, it’s 30 days’ notice to cancel.
Neither comes with a ranking promise, because Google doesn’t allow anyone to make one honestly. What you get is the work listed above, done properly.
Not sure local search is your main gap? Take the Scorecard. The Enquiry Leak Scorecard is 12 questions and takes about 3 minutes. You don’t need to give an email to see your score.
Sources
Market ranges above are rounded from these guides. Prices change, so check the current page before you buy.
- How Much Does Local SEO Cost? (UK 2026), Get-Found, accessed 30 September 2026
- SEO Costs UK 2026: Real Prices, Whito, accessed 30 September 2026
- Local SEO Cost UK: Real 2026 Prices, Grwthhub, accessed 30 September 2026
- Google Business Profile (FAQ: is a Business Profile on Google chargeable?), Google, accessed 30 September 2026
- Create your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help, accessed 30 September 2026
- Manage users on your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help, accessed 30 September 2026
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help, accessed 30 September 2026